George kneuper



Sept l, 1925. l 1,551,572

G. KNEUPER WATER FOUNTAIN Filed March 23, 1925 yINVENTOR 650A@ fIma/Pff? Patented Sept. 1, `17925.

UNITED vSTATES* PATENT) OFFICE.

GEORGE KNEUPER, OE NEW YORK, N. Y., AssTGNOR To TRE EILTRINEMANUEACTUR,-v ING COMPANY, OE BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OE NEWYORK.

WATER FOUNTAIN.

Aippvlicationpled March 23, 1925.A Serial' No. 17,7505.

T0 all whom t may concern: y' v i Be it known that I, GEORGE KNEUPER, acitizen of the United States, residing in the city of New York, countyof Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Water Fountains, of which 'the following is aspecification. l

This invention relates to filtered water receptacles of the typecommonly employed for drinking fountains into which the drinkwater isdischarged under its own gravity from a replaceable container arrangedabove the waterjar of said fountain.

In connection with water fountains of this character, a demand hasarisen for the filtration and purification of the water, especiallywhere the water is to be used for drinking purposes. yIferetofore, thisVobject has been effected only by filtering and purifying the waterbefore the bottles were filled.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved construction,combination and arrangement of parts in a device of this characterwhereby the water may be filtered and puried subsequently to itsdischarge from the replaceable container instead of prior tol thecontainer-filling operation as heretofore. l n.

Onegof the obj ects of the present invention is to provide an improvedfilter' construction for inverted bottle water fountains whereby apracticable amount of water may be .supplied thru a lter approximatelyas fast as it is drawn from the crock.

Another object of my invention is to provide a water fountain ofimproved construction which avoids the submergence of the filter inwater that has already been filtered.

The importance of filtering the water after it leaves the replaceablecontainer instead of prior to lling said container, will be apparentwhen attention iscalled to the fact that water is permitted to fiow fromthe inverted container intoV the water `jar per cubic foot commonlycalled dust. This .ures 1 and 3 of the drawings.

. five gallon bottle which has been previously filled with chemicallypure water and then mounted on the conventional water cooling drinkingfountain, may lbe shown to contain from fty thousand to three hundredthousand bacteria per cubic centimeter of 'waterr after one-third of thewater has been Withdrawn therefrom.` Naturally this rwater ypollution iscumulative so that 'the last ofthe bottledwater drawn from such coolersmay wellvbe worse than that coming from any public water supply.rMor'eover, there is great multiplication of bacteria under theseconditionsfdue to the fact that 'the bottle stands in a temperature,most favorable to bacteria development. s

Preferably, the filter should be installed in sucha way that thefiltering material will not be submerged in the water already lteredsince the effects produced by dialysis, diffusion, transfusion, etc.will impair the quality of the filtrate. Such considerations may betaken care of according to my invention by the embodiments shown inlFig-It may be noted in this connection, that these effects may not beapparent in the clarity of the water so muchas in the objectionabletaste and odor.

Subsidiary objects of invention'will appear in the specification and bepointed Out in the appended claims, referencebeing had to theaccompanying drawings which show some possible adaptations of myinvention. In the drawings y Figure 1 is a vertical section of apreferred embodiment Of my invention wherein `.the iltervis preventedfrom becoming submerged in the water that has been already filtered; f l1 Y Figure 2 is a similar vertical section Ofanother embodimentof theinventionv according to a more inexpensive construction; and

Figure y3 is a fragmentary vertical section lof another embodiment,"showing'a modification of the floating filter 'shownY in Figure 1. Y ii 7 Referring more particularly to thedrawings, inthe embodimentshownfin Figure 1,

Iio

my invention is illustrated in its adaptation to an inverted bottle typeor water cooler. .According to this embodiment, a metal ice container lis adapted to receive a cooling jar or crook 2 which is substantially orCarate shape and which when disposed vithin the container l is adaptedto 'loi-in an annular chamber 3 lior a refrigerant which in thisinstance is ice and water derived therefrom. rllie cooling jar 2 isprovided with an inwardly presented annuai' recess l oit the usualconstruct-ion for the reception oi' a rubber gasket or packing ing; 5which is usually employed Ytor support the inverted bottle or container6. iliccof' ing to this embodiment ot my invention, however, an inwardlyand downwardly contracted cape or apron 7 has iared upp edge seatedwithin the annular recess il and beneath the rubber gasket 5. Thepurpose oic the cape or apron i' is to iiorm a closed wall or partitionextending over and above thel annular space 8 between the inner sul'-iiace oi the water jar 2 and the outer per for rated wall 9 or a i'ilterbasket, said iilter basket being; provided with an imperiio bottoni wallcomprising an annular portion l0 and depending,A cup shaped portion liwhich forms a water holding well around the downwardly presented lip otthe bottle or container 5. Nithin the basket and covering the perforated.rall 9 tlieieo'lfv is disposed a cylindrical iilter l2, the upper oilsaid itilter beingl secured in position by au annular cup 13 which isseated upon the uppei` edge or the liltor basket as well as said filter.iccoi'dinp," to this embodiment oi iny intention, thei'ilter is niade torise and :tall for making and breaking the water seul at the dischargeoutlet of the water bottle during the teiiiporai'y variations o i" rncwater suriace in the water jar at tinies when water is being; drawntherefrom. For this purpose, suitable means floatingr the water liltermay be provided by an ali' chamber le Ytermed between the bottoni wallot tie iilter basket and a depending extension or 'the cylindrical wallof said iilter basket cor rrisingl an imperlioiate cylindrical wall l5,and bottom wall 1G. i-ojeeting` downzardly from the bottom wall .lo

is a guide rod l? adept/el to reciprocate in a tubular housing 18 torrui-ding the iii-ter basket ii its upward ai downward morements. .inorder to s a iiexible or yieldable connection between the tubulaiguideor housing 18 and the bottom wall of crook 2, saidbottoin wall isprovided with an upwardly presented boss or socket 2"v which may, it'desired 1e foi-ined in the crock itself shown on the dra Within the bossor 2lL is arrangfjou plug-like mass of cushioning material auch,

lor example, as soit rubber for mounting said tubular guide or housing18 at its inserate lower end. This construction affords a measurableprotection against breakage b y permitting,l a limited deeiee oimovement to the rod le' and guide under yieldable constraint. ri`lieusual water faucet 19 may be connected to the enlarged lower end or thewater jar 2. in annular cover 2.0 rests around its outer peripheral edgeupon the upper edge oi tiie refrigerant container l and has its innerannular iiange resting upon the upper edge oi" the water jar 2.

riccoi'dinl to the embodiment or my iiiveiitioii shown in Figure theretrigerant holding jai' is provided with an annular coi havingl itsinner lange resting` upon the upper edge o the water crock wliitliioi'iued substantially similar to that shown in Figure l. Suspendedwit-liin'the upper end or the cooling' jar is a funnel shaped wall orpartition 2d provided at its lower end with radial lugs 25 from which issuspended a cylindrical i'ilter comprising an inner perforated wall anouter perforated wall 2'?, an interposed iilter layer 28, and animperiforate bottom wall 29. lie inverted bottle 50 according to thisembodiment has its downwardly presented lip 3l centrally disposed withintlie wall or partition 2d and slightly below the upper editie ortlielilter.

Vaccording` to the modification oi the 'floating filter shown in lliure3, the inverted bottle l2 has a cap or spider 32 secured thereto, saidspider carrying an upwardly projecting tubular guide Il?, witliin theneck oi said inverted bottle. if; guide rod 3l slidably mounted in thetubul guide 33, is mounted on an imper'orate bottoni wall of thei'iltei' bash-et which is also provided with a per'iiorated cylindricalwall 8G. jiu iinperorate extension 3T ot the cylindrical wall 3G isclosed by a bottoni wall 3io to forni an air chamber EES. fr cylindricaliilter niat Ll() is arranged within the perforated an annular cap el.

Operation.

lt will be understood iii-oni the 'foregoing description that wheneverwater is drawn oli troni the water jar, the hydrostatic balance isdestroyed in such a way as to ereate a liow ol water thru the tilterwall into the water jar and breaking the water seal about the inoutli otthe inverted bottle or container. ln the embodiments shown in Figures land 3, the water seal is broken by a downward movement oi' the floatingi'ilter, the balance being,` reestablished as soon as enough of thewater released from the jar has filtered thru the cylindrical wall oithe lilter. ln the embodiment showniii Fic/ure on the other hand, theliltering begins as soon as the water level in the water jar fallssufficiently to create a iltering head of water within the filter cup,the

inverted positiont of a filter ,cup mounted within said water chamberand arranged to receive vthe water from said inverted container, saidfilter cup with water therein being adapted to form` a water seal forsaid-l inverted water container.

3. A water fountain for replaceable inverted water containers, saidwater fountain having a dispensing water jar, and a iioating water .lterarranged to receive water from said inverted container and to filter thewater as itpasses into said vwater ar. Y Y .Y

J 4. Awater fountain for replaceable inverted water containers, saidwater fountain having a dispensing water jar, and a floating waterfilter arranged to receive water from said inverted container vand Vtofilter the water as it passes into said water jar, said floating filterbeing adapted by its rise and fall to make and `break a water seal overthe mouth of said container.

5. In a water fountain, the combination with a refrigerant chamber, of awater holding chamber, and a filter cup recipro- 1 cable vertically withthe riseand fall of the upper surface of water in said water chamy ber,said filter cup being adapted to make and break a water seal forcontrolling the flow of water vinto said filter cup.

6. In a water fountain provided with Vwater jar, a water filte-r cupreciprocable vertically in said watery jar, said water filter cup beingprovided with a depressed well in the bottom wall thereof yfor holdingwater to effect a water seal for a downwardlyv discharging water supply.

7 i In a water fountain provided with a water jar, -a water filter v cupreciprocable vertically in said water jar, said water filter cup beingprovided with a depressed well in the bottom wall thereof for holdingwater to effect a water seal for -a downv wardly discharging watersupply, said fl y ter cup being provided `with a fioat chamber adaptingrit to rise and fall with the i surfaceof the water in said water jar.

8. In a water fountain provided with a water jar, a water filteringreceptacle adapted to float upon the filtered water in said teringreceptacle during its rising and falling movements, including a fiexibleconnection with 'said water jar. v

k9. In a water fountain provided with a water jar,V aiilter cup arrangedto receive and filter water to be deposited in said water j ar, saidfilter ycup being adapted to fioat on the lwater yinsaid water jar,relatively re- Y 'f 'i ciprocable guiding elements carried by saidfilter cup and water jarrespectively, and a cushioning connectioninterposed between said water jar and the guiding element carriedthereby. 1

10. In a water fountain, a water jar, the bottom wall of said waterjarbeing providred with an upwardly presented boss or socket, v a guideelement having its lower end cushioned in said boss or socket,af-floating f filter cup in said water jar, and a guide element carriedby said floating filterY cup and slidably engaging theV guide elementmounted insaid boss or socket. i A v 1l'. In a water fountain providedwith a water j ar, a water filtering receptacle adapted to oat upon Ythefiltered water in said water jar, and means for guiding said lteringreceptacle during its rising and falling movements.

GEORGE .KNEUPER 65 water jar, and means for guiding said fil- A

